To Close or Not To Close…That Is The Question! Part 1 of 3

The year was 1955 and as a young boy, I most fondly remember the milkman driving up to our house in his truck to deliver bottled milk with cream at the top of the bottle. The glass bottle had a cardboard cap over its top. We could select eggs, butter, and any other dairy products we wanted. Shortly after, the bakery truck would pull up and deliver our loaves of bread with any pastry desired from the bakery. Also, reminiscing about this time for me was the familiar site of the catalogues that adorned our coffee table like Montgomery Ward (that started their catalogue business in 1872 along with Sears initiating their catalogue business between 1888-1894). What fun it was to pore over their catalogue/magazines and to look at all the choices available in clothing, furniture and many new-fangled items. I remember when every dinner meal was served at the formal dining set and the whole family was required to attend as we told of our day’s activities. Our parents would entertain in the living room for social functions. The public rarely got a glimpse of the rest of the house for this was ‘our private home’. When we went shopping for furniture, it was usually a family outing. To see the big furniture store with all of the displays was like going to an event! The hustle and bustle of downtown, crowded streets, parallel parking, and oh, the selection! We were so excited for that first “new” sofa that we could hardly wait to have it delivered so we could show it off. It was a very different time.

Now, imagine that the year is 2112, and the families have become so indoctrinated as they nest/gather into the ‘family space’ relying totally on electronics. They purchase their clothes, their cars (with test drive included), their groceries, their music and shows and, oh yes, their furniture by virtual reality. The experience seems so real and it is just as though they were present to feel the texture, see every color hue, taste and smell the aromas, and hear the wonderful sounds that are appealing. The television is a relic and nobody has one except as an antique. Gone are the catalogues from Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware and the like. The kids constantly nag you to borrow the space ship for a little ‘planet-hopping’. Seem unrealistic or futuristic? Look how far we have come in the last 100 years. Who knows, maybe not! Most assuredly THEY will be different times.